The Chick-Flick is back! This past January, the classic 2004 movie Mean Girls made a return to theaters, but with a catch - it’s a musical. In 2017, the film was adapted into a stage musical on Broadway, with notable actresses such as Renee Rapp, who would reprise her role as Regina George in the 2024 edition. While it stays very close to the original plot, it uses songs as a form of storytelling and plot advancement. Although Mean Girls is doing great in theaters and gathering praise, it has left fans of both the original movie and the musical feeling alienated.

First and foremost, many viewers entered the theater and were surprised to be watching a musical. It is evident in the release of recent films such as Wonka that studios are reluctant to advertise the musical side of their movies as this can negatively impact their performance. Very few of the trailers for Mean Girls advertised the songs, which led to confusion amongst the public following its release. The movie is a closer adaptation of the musical than the movie, which contains a modified script that removes some of the classic jokes that could be distasteful in a modern lens. Although great actors were chosen for the new movie, many think their skills are limited by the script. Many fans thought that Regina’s ‘meanness’ was understated, with the absence of several malicious remarks. On the other hand, Avantika, an Indian film actress who plays the ditzy Karen, charmed audiences with her goofy performance, but there is also the belief that her unintelligence was exaggerated far beyond the original character.

Additionally, fans of the musical are critical of the new renditions of the songs. The new songs feature a new instrumental recording that is very ‘poppy’ in contrast to the vibrant Broadway recordings. Fans of the musical argue that the songs sound dull, and the singers become flat as a result. Many complain that the producers did not hire adequate singers for the roles. While the film features Auli’i Cravalho and Renee Rapp who have experience in singing for film and stage, many are quick to critique the skills of Angourie Rice, the Australian actress who portrays protagonist Cady Heron. They believe that her voice does not have the appropriate range and capabilities that the actress in the musical had to make the song enjoyable and memorable. An example of both these criticisms is the new recording of “Stupid with Love”. The original uses vibrant African rhythms and the erratic voice of Erika Henningson to portray Cady’s crush on her classmate. The movie’s version takes on a more lo-fi, bedroom pop style sound, which combined with Rice’s monotone commentary, portrays isolated disinterest.

Don’t let this discourage you from buying tickets, however! These criticisms, while valid, mostly come from theater and film nerds who spend too much time on the internet debating over things such as the use of autotune and the character’s appearances. Remember, people are not this judgemental in real life. I had a great time seeing this movie and thought it was really fun to watch! Some of the positives include the set design, which serves as a callback to the original movie, and the fashion, which is a modern twist on the style. There are also several scenes which perfectly model the way teenagers of Gen Z use the internet and social media, even featuring a cameo from Megan Thee Stallion! In total, the 2024 movie-musical Mean Girls is definitely worth your time!